In many electrical connectors, particularly connectors which terminate a plurality of power leads, it is desired to have a connector which not only terminates the leads but which also affords permanent protection to the terminations on the back side, or rear, of the connector. Often, leads from the connector are removed and incorrectly reterminated in the connector, thereby causing damage to interconnected electrical equipment when the connector is reintroduced into an electrical circuit. Additionally, bare-backed connectors pose a threat of electrical hazard to both humans and equipment.
In the past, some protection has been afforded by having connectors which have covers which are held by screws, clasps or some other type clamping device. However, while protecting the connectors, these arrangements do permit the cover to be removed thereby allowing the electrical terminations to be tampered with. Other arrangements have covers which are secured to the electrical leads by clasps or screws, but these arrangements also permit removal of the covers to give access to the terminations within the connectors.
Another method of protecting terminated leads is to completely seal, or encapsulate, the rear end of the termination in plastic or some other non-conductive protective material. This prevents any tampering unless the connector is physically abused, but if one portion of the connector wears out or malfunctions, then the entire encapsulated device and part of the electrical leads terminated in the connector must be removed and discarded. Additionally, this type of connector does not lend itself to use in the field or on odd-size cable terminations since the connector is encapsulated onto the cable at time of cable manufacture and requires expensive encapsulation equipment.
In many of the above-mentioned arrangements, the protective covers can be removed, thus permitting tampering with the electrical connections, which can result in electrical hazards to anyone coming into contact with the uncovered terminations and can also cause further damage to interconnected electrical equipment. Furthermore, when damaged equipment is returned for service and repair, it is not always apparent what caused the damage when the power connector is one that can be easily opened and then closed with no physical evidence that the connector has been violated.